Arrests Signal Israel`s True Intentions

CHICAGO — Under cover of the dreadful conditions imposed on Israel by random stabbing attacks and Iraq`s Scud missiles and threats of chemical warheads, the Israeli government has taken disturbing actions that may lessen the chances for peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after the gulf war and make future wars more likely.

In recent weeks Israel has arrested and imprisoned for six-month terms three prominent, moderate Palestinian leaders-Ziad abu Zayaad, Radwan abu Ayaash and Sari Nusseibeh. All have publicly spoken out against violence and called on Arabs to accept and accommodate the existence of the State of Israel.

In each case, there have been allegations made to the news media of serious offenses related to the threats Israel is facing. But the individuals were given no chance to rebut the allegations or to defend themselves against imprisonment because the charges were not formally made in a court of law, nor were trials held.

The Tribune report of the arrest of Palestinian philosophy professor Sari Nusseibeh attributed to ``Israeli sources, speaking on conditions of anonymity`` the assertion that ``Nusseibeh had given Iraq the exact locations of missile impacts in Israel.`` Ironically, Nusseibeh`s arrest came only a few hours after he had promised to issue a statement condemning Iraqi missile attacks on Israel. His promise came in a meeting with leaders of Israel`s Peace Now movement, a mainstream organization supported by hundreds of thousands of Israelis, including members of the Israeli Knesset and former foreign minister Abba Eban.

The timing of the arrests and the unwillingness of the Israeli government to present any evidence against these individuals raise the suspicion that the motive of the government is not protection against terrorism but discrediting the moderate faction of the Palestinian leadership. By placing leading Palestinian advocates of compromise in jail on allegations of spying and terrorism, the government can buttress the claim that ``there is no one to talk to.``

The Israeli government may then feel more free to pursue the ideological aims of the ruling coalition. Leading elements of the Likud Party have long called for a territorially ``greater Israel`` and have vociferously opposed territorial compromise as a path to settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Moledet Party, which ominously was admitted to the governing coalition Feb. 1, advocates expelling all Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The arrests of the moderate Palestinians may hurt rather than help the Israeli people. There has been no evidence that these actions were taken to address current terrorist threats. By blocking a path to peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the actions may ultimately expose the Israeli people to greater hardships than those they now endure.